Conveyer.



G. H. MUBLLER.

' CONVBYBR.

APPLIUATION FILED Amm, 190s.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

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G. H. MUELLER.

UONVEYBR.

APPLICATION FILED APRS, 19o.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

will moes G. H. MUELLBE.

GONVEYBR.

Apruomlon rmzn una. 190e.

1 ,054, 305, Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Inventos Witwen attenua,

- smrnspnrrnnrr OFFICE.

GEORGE H. MUELLER, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THEJEFFREY MFG. OO., Ol' COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION.

OONVEYER.

Specification o! Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25,1913.

To all whom t may concern.' f

Be it known that I, Grenen H. Momma, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Conveyers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying` drawing.

his invent-ion relates toswinging bucket conveyors and has for its object to provide improved means for chan ing the la of the overlapping lips with which the buc ets are rovided and improved means for maintaining the buckets in horizontal osition while traversing certain sections of t e path of the conveyor.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevation of a conveyer embodying the improvements provided by this invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the lower right hand corner of the conveyer. Fig. 3 is a top lan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

ig. 4 is a cross sectional view along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a section of the lower run of the conveyor. lFig. 6 illustrates the improper lapping of the buckets which my invention is intended to correct. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail of the receiving end of the chain supporti and guard rails.

In t e drawings, 1 indicates 'the chains from whichare suspended the buckets, each of these chainsA bein made up of a series of pairs of arallel links 2, each pair being joined to tllie next pair by means of the intle 3.4 These pintles carry between the l ink bars of each chain the track rollers 4 which engage with the horizontal and vertical track rails 5 and 6, respectively. Freely suspended from two o posite pintles are buckets 7 which carry t e material to be conveyed. `The drawings show the path of the conveyor as having the upper and lower horizontal sections 8 and 9 and the vertical sections 10 and 11, this showing being suilcient to illustrate the mode of application of my invention, although it is to be understood that the conveyer may travel over anyA desired form of path.

At the curves where the conveyor passes from the horizontal to the vertical section of its course, sprocket wheels 12, 12 are shown ada ted to en age with the chain f= an change t buckets smoothly from .one direction of travel to another. This invention, however, is equally applicable to coiivcyci's in which fixed stationary curved guide rails are used instead of sprocket wheels. Euch of the buckets is pi'ovided at each end with an overla ping lip 13 in order that the material may he loaded into the buckets from the hopper 14 without falling between the adjacent edges of two successive buckets. A well-recognized difliculty in using this overlapping li construction has arisen from the inter ereiicc of the lips with euch other at the point corresponding to the lower right-hand corner of "ig 1 of the drawings. 'l`o overcome this diiiiculty various devices have been suggested and em loyed for causing the lip of a bucket in a Vance to rest on top of the lip of the bucket next in the rear of it as the buckets enter upon the horizontal section of track above which the loading hopper is mounted. The means here illustrated for accomplishing this purpose is as follows: The conveyor after leaving the sprocket wheel 12 ascends a gradual incline 15 for a short distance before entering upon the horizontal section of its travel.

In order to prevent the buckets from ussnming the osition shown in Fig. 6, as thev pass around)` and leave the sprocket wheel, the cam uide rail 17 is mounted beneath thesproc et wheel with its active face generally parallel to the path ofthe conveyor and terminating approximately beneath the center of this sprocket wheel. This cam guide rail engages the trip wheels 18 which are usually used upon the buckets of conveyers of this typeto coperate with the tripping mechanism indicated conventional y at 19 to unload the material. The trip wheel of a descending bucket comes easily and smoothly into engagement with the cam guide rail and as the bucket passes around the sprocket wheel it is given an inclination downwardly from left to right, duc to the fact that the vertical distance from the circumference of the sprocket wheel to the cam guide rail adually decreases. By inclining the buc et in this manner the projected horizontal distance from tip to ti of any one bucket is considerably shortene and the lip of the bucket next in advance passes the lip of the inclined bucket without interference, as the forward bucket ascends the short incline 15. After the buckets haveentercd upon the lower horizontal section of their path they pass under the loading hopper and receive charges of the material to be conveyed. When the buckets have -been unloaded on the upper horizontal section of travel, there is frequently left in the bottom of the buckets a small portion ot material, especially if the material which is being conveyed is of a damp or sticky character. These remaining portions of the charge vcause the buckets to assume inclined positions during their descent and as they approach the loading hopper. In this way the advantage gained by the use of overlapping lips is nulliiied and the material finds its way between the buckets to the floor under the loading hopper. To cause the buckets to be held exactly to their horizontal positionT as they travel over this part of their path, I have provided the guard rail posi tioned to engage with the upper sides of the trip wheels, as shown in the drawings. These guard rails are preferably angle irons and can be bolted to the brackets 21 secured to the track supports 22. 'Ihere' is shownin the drawings a desirable frame construction for supporting the track rails 28, the guard angles and the loading guard plates 23. The single casting 24 used for this purpose is an provided with the ledges 25 on either side to l at any point along the conveyer.

support the rails 28 and guard angles and has the upwardly extending arms 26 to which the guard plates are secured. By this mode of construction a perfectly rigid frame support is provided which preserves the accurate alinement of the rails and the guard angles. At its ends, each guard angle is curved upwardly, that it may engage the trip wheels on the buckets without shock or jar. Similar guard rails may be employed Fig. 1 shows a double guard angle 27, such as would be used with vertical and curved sections of track.

What I claim is:

l. In a pivoted bucket conveyer, the com bination with the chains and buckets pivotally suspended from the chains and provided with overlapping lips, of guiding devices directing theichain and buckets along a path lying 1n ldiderent horizontal planes, and of stationary means external to the conveyer and to the guidin `devices for tipping the buckets rearward om a horizontal position, the path of the conveyer being upwardly inclined to the horizontal at points immediately in advance of said'tilting means.

2. In a pivoted bucket conveyer, the combination or guiding devices, an endless chain, buckets pivotally mounted therefrom .and having over-lapping lips, a wheel on each bucket in vertical alinement with the axis of suspension of the bucket, a guide rail adjacent to a curved section of the path of the conveyer in the rear of a horizontal section and adapted to engage the said wheels to tilt the bucket rearward, the ide rail being substantially concentrlc with the said curved section of the path of the conveyer, and means for inclining the buckets upwardly in advance of the tilting mechanism. 3. In a pivoted bucket conveyer, the combination with guiding devices, an endless chain, buckets pivotally supported from the chain and having" overlapping lips, of loading mechanism, an unloading mechanism, a trip wheel on each bucket in the vertical plane of the axis of bucket suspension, coperating with the unloading mechanism, andl a lap changing device comprising the bucket tilting cam guide rail adapted to engage the trip wheel on each bucket and means for elevating the rear edge of the bucket in advance of the tilted bucket with respect to the said tilted bucket.

4. In a lap changing device for pivoted bucket conveyers of the overlapplng lip type, an eitended bucket tilting guide rail concentric with a curved section of the conveyer path, and wheels on the buckets for engaging therewith the guidefrail adapted to carry the wheels on the buckets in advance of the tops of the buckets throughout the length of said rail.

5. In a pivoted bucket conveyer, the combination with guiding devices, a chain and buckets, of rollers mounted on the buckets in the same vertical plane and a 'did'erent horizontal plane from that of the axis of suspension, and a guard rail vertically between said rollers and the axis of suspension of the buckets engaging said rollers to maintain the buckets level. l

56. In a pivoted bucket conveyer, the cornbination with guiding devices, chain and buckets having overlapping lips, of loading inechani'sm,' unloading mechanism, trip wheels in the vertical plane `of the axis of bucket suspension and below said axis, coperating with the unloading mechanism, and a guard rail engaging the'upper side ot said trip wheels to hold the buckets level.

7. In a pivoted bucket conveyer, thev combination with guiding devices, a chain and buckets, of rollers mounted on the buckets in 'the same vertical plane anda lower horizontal lane-from that of the axis of suspension, andp a guard rail engaging the upper side of said rollers to maintain the buckets level.

8. In a pivoted bucket conveyer, the combination of guiding devices, an endless chain, buckets pivotally mounted thereon and having overlapping lips, a wheel on each bucket in vertical alinement with the axis of suspension of the bucket, a sprocket wheel engaging with said chain for altering its direction from vertical to horizontal, a guide rail adjacent to said sprocket wheel and positioned to engage the wheels to tilt the buckets rearward, said guide rail termi'- los hating abruptly at a point approximately in vertical alinement with the center of the sprocket wheel, and means for inclining the buckets upward in advance of the tilting'dev1ce.

9. In a pivoted bucket conveyer, the combination of guiding devices, an endless chain, bucketsv pivotally mounted thereon and having overlapping lips, a wheel on each bucket in vertical alinement with the axis of suspension of the bucket, a sprocketwheel en aging with said endless chain to alter its irectlon from vertical to horizontal, a guide rail adjacent to said sprocket wheel and positioned to engage the'wheels on the buckets and tilt the buckets rearward,

said rail terminating abruptly at a point a proximately in vertical a center of said sprocket wheel and. an inclined'rail the lower end of which is adjacent the end of the aforementioned ride rail, the-end of said inclined rail positioned a distance away from the abruptly terminating guide rail equal to or greater than the diameter of the wheels.

In testimony whereof IV aiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

Cms. M SNmnn, G. J. Haonoox.

mement with t e GEORGEA H. MUELLER. 

